Dave Pasch Remembered His Friend And Longtime Broadcast Partner, Bill Walton

Bill Walton died on Monday after a battle with cancer at the age of 71, and the news stunned and saddened the basketball world.

The tributes and memories fans, players, and media members shared of Walton offered a terrific example of how he had such a lasting impact on the game. From his time at UCLA to Portland to San Diego to Boston, people posted stories of Walton’s on-court prowess and anecdotes from his career. Others remembered Walton’s time calling the NBA on NBC, providing the soundtrack to the biggest games of the 90s. Many younger fans remember Walton’s most recent chapter as a broadcaster, calling college basketball games (mostly in the Pac-12) for ESPN.

His partner for the majority of those games was Dave Pasch, who had an incredible chemistry with Walton, playing the straight man trying to call games while Walton wandered about, going down whatever path his mind presented to often discuss anything and everything but the game. They were a joy to watch, and on Monday, Pasch called in to SportsCenter to offer a remembrance of his longtime partner and share a touching anecdote about Walton, the person.

He also offered up an incredibly funny story of how they made up a bit about George Lucas creating Chewbacca in Walton’s image and then it got picked up by big entertainment outlets.

It is a perfect tribute to Walton by someone who knew him like few do, and a glimpse into the man who was a truly unique force. Another of Walton’s play-by-play partners, Jason Benetti, who called games with him on ESPN and later joined Walton for the always bizarre Throw It Down simulcast on NBA League Pass, posted a similarly fitting tribute to the legend.